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The Heaven Makers (1978)

The Heaven Makers (1978)

Book Info

Author
Rating
3.4 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
0345344588 (ISBN13: 9780345344588)
Language
English
Publisher
del rey books

About book The Heaven Makers (1978)

Frank Herbert is of course best known for his science fiction epic Dune, arguably the bestselling science fiction book of all time. "The Heaven Makers" is about 1/3 the size of Dune, about 1/5 as complicated, and feels stylistically very much like a mass market sci-fi paperback, the kind of thing you can find 100 of in any used book store. However, Frank Herbert does something really unusual in "The Heaven Makers." It's complicated and philosophical, but it's also gripping and hard to put down. The philosophical questions the book raises about immortality, corruption, and whether we are alone in this universe are fascinating and compelling. The most unusual and original alien I have come across in a long time. While some books tackle hard issues but have very thin characters, "The Heaven Makers" is populated by characters who feel pretty real and whom you come to care about.Bottom line, because the book is short it isn't as good as Dune, but it does the very best it can with its chosen medium. It's like a Doctor Who episode without the silly plot twists and lot more punch.

This was one quick read and unfortunally from nowadays standard is not that interesting. This book deals with two stories that eventually join. In one hand you've got immortal alien beings (Chem) that use humanity as we use television and in the other hand you've got the current story that aliens are seeing dealing with a Man in a story with murder and love.The story deals mainly with psychological aspects of humanity and at the same time with the concept of immortality.Quite interesting ending where Frank Herbert share is views on both topics. It's a nice reading, fast and what you can expect from herbert. Dealing with nowadays standard is considered a novella, with 150 pages, and outdated. But for those who want to read the primordials of Sci-fi give a try with this one.

Do You like book The Heaven Makers (1978)?

The criticism that this is one of Herbert's worst books is accurate, but there are glimpses of talent and even genius in this otherwise silly and unfleshed short novel. It is interesting to contrast the broad and cartoonish perspective on the immortality of the Chem against the prolonged life and immortality of the God Emperor of Herbert's much more famous Dune, which took an entire series to develop. I recommend this book to sci-fi fans who still watch cartoons and won't be insulted by the lack of effort Frank Herbert puts out in what I assume is one of his first published works.
—B. Jay

...The Heaven Makers was a quick read and it is a little dated. I rather enjoyed it though. Herbert is much more occupied by the idea of our alien overlords and the consequences of immortality than the development of his characters, a failing of several of his early novels. With it's rather straightforward plot, is not Herbert's most memorable work. I very much doubt it will see print again any time soon. That being said, it is far from his worst either. If you like Herbert's work, you'll not want to skip this one. Hard to find as it may be it.Full Random Comments review
—Rob

The Chem are a race of aliens unknown to humankind. Because they’re immortal, they’re bored. So, for entertainment, they broadcast drama TV from Earth. Fraffin is one of the most successful producers of human drama. Authorities from his home planet suspect he may be manipulating events on Earth, which is forbidden, so they send Investigator Kelexel to find out what’s going on. But Fraffin has a way of dealing with snoopy investigators. All he has to do is trap them by tempting them with Earth’s secret pleasures.In actuality, Fraffin is indeed interfering with humans and creating his own dramas to boost his ratings. For his current project, which he’s been setting up for decades, he incites a well-respected man to brutally butcher his wife. Before being taken to jail, the man asks psychologist Androcles Thurlow to look after his daughter, Ruth, who is Thurlow’s ex-fiance. When Thurlow gets involved... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
—Fantasy Literature

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